Language Classics
Series Directory
Explore Our Language-Learning Series
Welcome to the Language Classics Series Directory! Here you’ll find descriptions of our collection of classic language-learning programs, including educational television series, telenovelas, conversational courses, and programs for children and beginners.
Browse the four categories below to discover each program’s story, teaching approach, intended audience, and available learning materials. Whether you’re beginning a new language or building on skills you already have, there’s something here for you.
All available programs are free to watch. Simply click a series title to begin exploring. Programs still being prepared are marked Coming Soon.
Spanish Stories & Telenovelas
Learn Spanish through intriguing mysteries, memorable characters, and continuing dramatic stories. These programs combine language instruction with engaging narratives that develop listening comprehension while introducing the history and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.
Destinos is a groundbreaking 52-episode Spanish-learning telenovela following Raquel Rodríguez, a Los Angeles attorney investigating a decades-old family mystery across Spain, Mexico, and Argentina. Combining an engaging storyline with carefully structured language instruction, the series gradually introduces Spanish vocabulary, grammar, and everyday conversation. Designed for beginning and intermediate learners, Destinos also provides a fascinating introduction to the history and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.
Nuevos Destinos is the 15-episode sequel to the acclaimed Spanish-learning series Destinos. Set six years after the original story, it reunites viewers with attorney Raquel Rodríguez as she investigates another family mystery involving the Castillo family. Designed as a review and extension course, the series builds on previously learned vocabulary and grammar while developing listening comprehension and conversational skills through a continuing dramatic storyline.
La Catrina is a 14-episode educational Spanish-language telenovela created for high school and college students. The story follows Jamie González, a 17-year-old Hispanic-American student who travels to Querétaro, Mexico, to study Spanish and investigate the mystery surrounding her wealthy great-grandmother, Doña Josefa de González. Combining intrigue, adventure, and romance with authentic Mexican settings, the series develops Spanish comprehension while introducing viewers to Mexican history and culture.
El Último Secreto continues the story begun in La Catrina. Jamie González returns to Mexico, where a mysterious pre-Columbian artifact draws her into a new investigation involving art smuggling, family secrets, and a decades-old murder. Set against the cultural and historical backdrop of Oaxaca, this sequel provides continuing Spanish learners with more challenging dialogue and opportunities to strengthen their listening comprehension through an engaging dramatic storyline.
¿Eres tú, María?
Coming soon!
¿Eres tú, María? is a Spanish-language detective mystery featuring Lola Lago, a private investigator working in Madrid. When an elderly woman’s valuable jewelry is stolen, Lola and her colleagues uncover a complicated scheme involving deception, suspicious relatives, and hidden motives. The series introduces learners to conversational Spanish through a suspenseful story, providing opportunities to develop listening comprehension, vocabulary, and familiarity with everyday life in Spain.
Sol y Viento
Coming soon!
Sol y Viento is an introductory Spanish course built around a feature-length dramatic film set in Chile. The story centers on a family-owned winery threatened by internal deception and outside corporate development, weaving together mystery, romance, and cultural traditions. The accompanying instructional materials integrate vocabulary, grammar, and cultural exploration with the film’s storyline, offering beginning Spanish students an engaging way to connect language learning with meaningful situations.
Spanish for Beginners & Children
Discover Spanish through colorful characters, music, stories, and creative activities. Originally developed for younger audiences, many of these programs also provide an enjoyable introduction to the language for adult beginners.
Amigos is a lively 30-episode bilingual educational series introducing Spanish language and Hispanic culture through the adventures of Perro Pepe and his friends. Set around Señorita Fernández’s neighborhood fonda, the program uses entertaining stories, songs, repetition, and everyday conversations to teach basic Spanish vocabulary and expressions. Originally designed for children and families, its friendly characters and accessible lessons also make it an enjoyable introduction for adult beginners.
Saludos is a charming PBS Spanish-learning series for children, featuring a mixture of live-action characters, puppets, music, and everyday situations. Set in a Philadelphia neighborhood, the story follows Mina as she helps Mr. Wiggins, a local shopkeeper, learn Spanish to communicate with his customers. Two entertaining puppets, Pete and Repeat, reinforce vocabulary and pronunciation through playful review. The series offers an approachable introduction to Spanish for children and beginning learners.
Carrascolendas is a pioneering bilingual Spanish-English children’s television series that aired on PBS from 1970 to 1976. Created by Aida Barrera, the program takes place in a colorful imaginary town where memorable characters, including Agapito the Lion, use music, humor, and storytelling to celebrate Hispanic culture and promote language learning, self-confidence, and respect for others. Seven episodes are currently available through PBS. Language Classics is researching the series’ history and exploring opportunities to preserve and share additional episodes.
¡Arte y más!
Coming soon!
¡Arte y más! is a Spanish-language immersion series designed for elementary-school children. Hosted by Señora Alicia and her puppet iguana, Susana, the program teaches Spanish through music, dance, drama, visual arts, and hands-on activities. Its 60 lessons introduce greetings, colors, numbers, shapes, common expressions, and Latin American cultural traditions. The combination of language instruction and creative activities makes it especially useful for young learners, teachers, and families.
Salsa, produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting, is an imaginative Spanish-language educational series designed for children in kindergarten through third grade. Colorful puppets, familiar stories, music, and lively characters introduce Spanish vocabulary and everyday expressions through repetition and visual storytelling. Rather than relying on constant English translation, the program encourages children to understand Spanish naturally through context. Its engaging approach also makes it enjoyable for families and adult beginners.
Everyday Spanish & Conversation
Develop practical Spanish through entertaining situations involving friendship, travel, work, and everyday life. These programs emphasize conversational language and listening comprehension through memorable characters and engaging stories.
Mi Vida Loca
Coming soon!
Mi Vida Loca is an interactive Spanish-learning adventure produced by the BBC that places viewers directly inside the story. Arriving in Madrid, you unexpectedly become involved in a mystery that takes you through the city and beyond. Through short video episodes, interactive activities, and practical conversations, learners develop vocabulary, listening comprehension, and confidence in everyday Spanish. The series is particularly appealing to beginners who enjoy learning through participation and storytelling.
Extr@
Coming soon!
Extr@ is an entertaining Spanish-learning television sitcom produced by Channel 4 Learning. Inspired by the style of popular situation comedies such as Friends, the series follows Sam, an American with limited Spanish, as he visits his pen pal Lola and her roommate Ana in Spain. Along with their neighbor Pablo, the characters encounter humorous misunderstandings involving friendship, romance, and everyday life. The dialogue and familiar situations make the series particularly useful for developing conversational Spanish.
Spaniards in London
Coming soon!
Spaniards in London is a Spanish-language comedy web series created by Javier Moreno Caballero. It follows a group of young Spaniards adjusting to life in London as they navigate jobs, friendships, relationships, and cultural misunderstandings while sharing accommodations with a British roommate. Featuring conversational European Spanish in entertaining everyday situations, the series provides beginning and intermediate learners with opportunities to develop listening comprehension and become familiar with naturally spoken Spanish.
Learn Other Languages
Explore classic programs for learning French, Italian, and German. Through immersive storytelling, cultural experiences, and authentic conversations, these series offer engaging approaches to developing language skills beyond Spanish.
French in Action is a groundbreaking 52-lesson French-language course developed by Yale University’s Professor Pierre Capretz. Set primarily in Paris, the series follows the adventures of Mireille and Robert while introducing French through visual storytelling, repetition, and immersion. Rather than relying on constant translation, the program encourages learners to understand the language through context and observation. Its combination of engaging characters, everyday conversation, and French culture has made it a landmark in language education.
La Mappa Misteriosa
Coming soon!
La Mappa Misteriosa is an Italian-learning adventure that invites viewers to become part of an unfolding mystery. Following a mysterious map through Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, learners encounter colorful characters, uncover family secrets, and explore local traditions, cuisine, and culture. By combining an entertaining storyline with conversational Italian, the series provides opportunities to develop vocabulary and listening comprehension while experiencing the language in its cultural setting.
Fokus Deutsch
Coming soon!
Fokus Deutsch is a German-language instructional series that combines a continuing storyline with interviews, cultural features, and documentary-style segments. Learners encounter German as it is used in everyday situations while exploring the people, places, and traditions of German-speaking countries. By integrating realistic conversations with structured learning activities, the program helps students develop vocabulary, grammar, and listening comprehension while gaining a broader understanding of German-speaking cultures.